Ojai Valley School

Ojai Valley School is a boarding and day school in Ojai, California, serving 300–500 students from pre-school through high school. The school anchors its mission in progressive education and character development, building "educating the whole child" into daily practice through academic classes, residential life, athletics, and outdoor programs that reinforce each other.

Teaching here means wearing multiple roles. You teach your subject—math, science, English, history, Spanish—and also mentor students in residence halls, coach sports, and lead outdoor trips into the surrounding landscape. This means encountering each student across contexts: classroom, dorm, trail. The school's core values—integrity, compassion, fairness, responsibility, respect, and perseverance—thread through all settings, creating coherence that most schools struggle to achieve.

Location unlocks what suburban and urban schools cannot. Ojai's valley setting enables outdoor learning woven directly into curriculum and residential rhythm. Weekend backcountry experiences and environmental study happen because the landscape is there. Both boarding families and day families choose the school for this intentional community and mentorship depth.

Ojai Valley School hires year-round for faculty, residential staff, athletic coaches, outdoor education specialists, and operations roles. Spring and summer see peak openings ahead of the academic year. The school maintains strong net assets and reinvests in competitive faculty salaries and benefits packages—a financial stability that matters in a tight hiring market.

For educators seeking progressive teaching culture, residential community, and genuine access to outdoor learning, Ojai Valley School stands apart among California independent schools.